Britain from Above Ep3 Untamed Britain.avi

Britain from Above

Sun 24 Aug, 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm 60mins



Untamed Britain

In the final instalment of Britain from Above, presenter Andrew Marr microlights and paraglides through the skies, getting a buzzard's eye view of the nation's untamed and untameable landscape. He joins geologists, meteorologists, amateur photographers and festival goers to explore Britain's geology, the impact of the weather on our shores and the riches hidden beneath our feet.



Microlighting down the Great Glen Fault in the Scottish Highlands, Andrew learns about the very origins of the nation, where England and Scotland collided over 400 million of years ago. He visits Northern Ireland where geologists looked down from above at a river flowing through the Sperrin Mountains to discover unimagined riches: gold.



Paragliding on the Welsh borders, Andrew finds out how to read the clouds before flying over the east coast of Norfolk where the wind's destructive powers are shown to devastating effect.



But our geology and weather also affect the country's wildlife. Satellite tracking shows the migration of birds from Senegal and Siberia to Britain's shores. Using thermal imaging that is normally employed to search out insurgents in the mountains of Afghanistan, other immigrants from the East can be tracked - the shy Sika deer who help manage the land on Lulworth Range. Some strong language.